GASTROENTEROLOGY NERD ALERT: JUNK FOOD TIED TO LOW SPERM COUNT
GASTROENTEROLOGY NERD ALERT: JUNK FOOD TIED TO LOW SPERM COUNT
Check out this link to a depressing article from CNN.com about the impact that the junk food filled standard American diet can have on lowering sperm counts in young men!
https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/26/health/junk-food-sperm-count-study-eshre-trnd/index.html
“Burgers, fries, pizza and high energy drinks impact testicular function in young men, new research suggests. Specifically, the sperm counts for men who typically eat “Western” meals of high fat foods were 25.6 million lower, on average, than the counts of men noshing on fish, chicken, fruits, vegetables and other more “prudent” foods, a new Harvard study found.”
“Sperm count has been declining in the Western countries over the past few decades,” wrote the researchers in a presentation of their results at the 2019 annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Vienna on Tuesday. By one recent calculation, sperm counts of men in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand have plunged 59% over a nearly 40-year period ending in 2011.
The “Western” diet, including red meat, chips and other high fat foods, was linked to the lowest sperm counts. Men who ate western had sperm counts between 8.86 million and 42.3 million lower than men who ate prudently, the researchers found after adjusting for outside factors that might influence testicular function, such as smoking.”
…Charles Lindemann, a professor emeritus and researcher at Michigan’s Oakland University who also did not participate in the research presented this week, said the new study “could be an important clue if it holds up to scrutiny.” A high processed food diet “may be responsible for the known trend that has been recorded over the recent past of progressively decreasing sperm counts,” he told CNN in an email.
“Stress is harmful and vitamin or mineral deficiencies can also reduce sperm quality,” said Lindemann. “My advice to men who contact me is that a well balanced diet which includes dairy and fresh vegetables combined with adequate sleep and exercise may improve sexual health.”
Similar advice applies equally to women concerned about fertility. Women who eat more fast food and those who eat very little fruit take longer to get pregnant than women whose diets include several portions of fruit, according to a recent study of more than 5,500 women.
Women who made a meal of fast food four or more times a week took nearly a month longer to get pregnant than women who ate several portions of fruit a day, the Australian researchers found. Women who ate fruit less than three times a month also took longer to conceive than those who ate fruit three or more times a day.”
Although we are not fertility experts, our registered dietitian nutritionist, Claire Allen, and behavioral coach, Jed Foster, can help you make changes in your nutrition and help to ensure you are achieving recommended goals. We also have a comprehensive weight management program to try to fully optimize your nutrition and wellness. Call 224.407.4400 or visit compgihealth.com to learn more!